Shadow held Maria tightly for quite a while before he calmed down enough to release his grip around her. She stumbled a bit before turning around to face him. She was puzzled by the mix of emotions on him. Joy and worry. He swallowed nervously and sat silently in front of her as she asked him what had happened. Worried about what happened to him before her own condition.
He took in a deep breath and raises a claw slowly and pointed at her before bringing it around to point at himself'
"Like me" he grunted out. She looked at him puzzled and then suddenly realized what he was saying.
Once he noticed her figuring it out he lowered his head and backed away a bit. Like an animal preparing for punishment silently.
Maria was speechless for a while, looking over herself and clutching her hands open and closed in front of her. This was certainly not what she was expected and it was hard to come to terms with the info of her now being a monster of the moon.
She looked around at the trashed cabin, now noticing that aside from items being broken there were also claw marks around the place, even a few on the ceiling. Then at him and he was completely covered in bruises, scratches and bite marks. He had spent the entire night keeping her inside and safe at the cost of his own well being.
She knelt down in from of him, his head turned and eyes closed as waited. She slowly reached out and he flinched a bit as felt her fingers brush along the top of his head.
"You did this to help me?' she softly whispered to him.
He opened his eyes slightly and glanced at her with a soft nod. She looked at one of her hands, she felt a bit weak now but it wasn't anything like before. She felt more like she hadn't slept or eaten in a day or two, but the pain in her chest and elsewhere was no longer there at all.
She ran both her hands along the sides of his cheeks and lifted his head to look at her. She had a slightly worried expression then smiled softly and leaned her head down and pressed her forehead against his.
"You saved me...thank you Shadow" He trembled a bit at her words and slowly raised his hands and embraced her. Holding her close as she embraced his head and held him against her. He gave out a long sigh as relaxed against her, tears running down his face now. She didn't hate him.